s more than cosmetic changes and more than simply imposing a new system. As Oliver and Davies (1990) note: Empirical evidence demonstrates a profoundly political dimension to these innovations, requiring a significant rewriting of organizations' political and cultural maps (Oliver and Davies, 1990, 555).
Part of this shift involves a change in communication styles and patterns in keeping with the new relationship between management and the labor force. Some American firms are trying to accomplish the same thing within the existing hierarchy. It will take time to see whether such efforts will be successful or not, but the team concept has been grafted onto numerous American firms with some success in the short term.
The American system is hierarchical, conflictual, reactive, and has come more and more to rely on short-term planning and thinking, which does seem to point to at least a temporary ascendancy of the courtier style. However, there are many who believe that the American system is shifting in response to changes in the business environment, chang
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